by Kate O'Hearn
‘I don’t know . . .’ Freya rose and looked around. She could feel others approaching. Their intentions were not good.
‘Vonni, stay with Brundi, I’m not going to let them get you.’ She looked at Archie and drew her golden sword. ‘Come with me – three men are heading this way.’
Her senses told her the intruders were still together. They were determined to get back to the mine.
‘They’re terrified,’ Freya said. ‘I don’t know why. They couldn’t have seen us yet.’
‘Maybe they saw more wolves,’ Archie suggested as his eyes panned the area.
‘No, that would be fear. This is pure terror.’
Freya crept deeper into the woods. It was strangely quiet, with no sounds of wild animals. As they moved, she felt and heard movement ahead. ‘There.’ She pointed and spoke to Archie. ‘Can you go to them and tell me what they are doing? And remember, they can’t see or hear you.’
Archie nodded. ‘I wish I had my sword.’ He ran ahead. ‘Gee, they’ve all got shotguns. They’re hunting something. Be careful, they look ready to shoot at anything that moves.’
Freya stalked forward to where the men were clustered together. Their flashlight beams were trembling through the darkness and Freya could see they each held a gun at the ready. She needed to know who they were and where they came from.
She was about to charge them when roars filled the air, causing the men to bolt towards the mine with their guns raised.
Four men were running from the mine, screaming, as Skaga and Maya chased behind them, wings open and swords held high. Directly behind the Valkyries emerged the head of a huge black dragon. With eyes blazing gold, it looked almost too big to fit through the entrance, as it wormed its large, scaled body through the opening.
Freed from the confines of the mine, the dragon rose to its full height, taller than the trees, and opened its leathery wings. Roaring, it exposed its deadly teeth as flames shot out of its nostrils.
Gunfire exploded as the men in the trees opened fire on the dragon and Valkyries. Skaga was hit and collapsed to the ground.
‘No!’ Freya howled, rushing the men from behind. Her sword flashed and the man who shot Skaga fell.
In the next moment, an Angel of Death appeared. Freya gave him a quick, respectful nod. ‘He’s all yours!’
More angels arrived as Freya charged into the clearing. But before she could use her sword again, the dragon’s fire made quick work of the other men. The fight was over in seconds. The angels moved in, collected the men and vanished.
Freya used her sword to direct the two survivors out of the woods and forced them to the ground at the dragon’s feet. When the huge monster inhaled deeply for another fire attack, she held up her hand. ‘No! Leave them. We need to know why they’re here!’ She turned to the men with barely contained fury. ‘Don’t move a muscle or that dragon will turn you into charcoal.’
She made it to Skaga just as Maya was helping her to her feet. Her sister’s silver breastplate had protected her from serious injury, but not from the pain. ‘I should have kept my helmet on so they wouldn’t see me,’ she complained as she brushed off dirt and leaves and settled the ruffled feathers on her wings.
Vonni was still by his mother’s side. Brundi was unconscious and her breathing was laboured. With one eye on the dragon, Vonni tried to soothe his mother, but as the dragon began to approach he jumped up. ‘What is that thing?’
‘That’s enough, Loki,’ Skaga warned the dragon. ‘It’s over.’
‘Loki?’ Vonni cried.
The dragon shimmered and then shrank back into Loki’s human form. He knelt beside Brundi and took her hand. ‘You will be fine, dear lady,’ he said gently as he inspected her deep wounds. He looked at Vonni. ‘She’s badly hurt, we must go.’
Vonni knelt by his mother, unable to move as his wide eyes studied Loki.
‘Von!’ Loki snapped. ‘It’s me! Now, help me lift her. I’m taking her home.’
‘To Asgard?’ Freya asked.
‘Asgard is not her home,’ Loki said. ‘Valhalla Valley is.’ Without another comment, Loki turned back into the dragon. With Brundi supported in one huge claw, he picked up Jonquil in the other and carried them away.
‘What about these two?’ Archie called.
Vonni was shaking with shock and rage as he rose and stalked towards the two men. He hoisted one of them up by the collar. Freya and her sisters were right behind him, with their wings open and their swords drawn and held at the ready.
The men’s wild eyes were terrified as they stared at the Valkyries. ‘What are you?’ they demanded.
‘I’m asking the questions!’ Vonni snapped. ‘Who are you? Why are you here?’
‘Answer him or you will feel the point of my sword!’ Skaga shouted harshly. ‘I am in no mood to play games with humans!’
Within minutes they had the whole story. A friend had told them about the old gold mine and had said that he had been sneaking on to the property at night to investigate it. They discovered that the mine still contained a fortune in gold. They were trespassing to extract as much as they could.
‘You came here with weapons?’ Vonni demanded.
‘We knew you’d never agree to let us open the mine,’ one of the men said. ‘We need our weapons for protection. That crazy old woman keeps wolves and other predators here. What were we supposed to do?’
‘This is private property! You are supposed to keep off!’
‘There’s a fortune in gold here,’ one of the men cried. ‘It’s not fair that you keep it all for yourself!’
Vonni was shaking. ‘You did this for gold? My wife and daughter live here!’ His hands shot round the man’s neck. ‘You would have killed them!’
‘Vonni, no!’ Freya cried, catching him by the arm. ‘Think of Brundi. She’s hurt and we must get back to her . . .’
Vonni’s blazing eyes fixed for a moment on Freya. Finally he calmed and focused on the men again. ‘Leave here – now,’ he said in a harsh rasp. ‘Just go, leave Idaho. If I ever hear of you returning, I will feed you both to that dragon!’
Throwing them down, Vonni stormed over to Sylt. He climbed on, roared furiously and directed the Reaping Mare into the sky.
‘And he says he’s not a Dark Searcher,’ Orus cawed to Freya. ‘Who’s he think he’s kidding?’
‘You have made a grave mistake here, humans,’ Skaga warned as her wings fluttered in anger. ‘This property is protected by us. If your friends are planning to return, tell them to stay away. We will show no mercy next time. This mine is closed and will remain that way.’
The men gazed fearfully at the winged Valkyries and nodded.
‘Let’s go,’ Skaga ordered her sisters as she opened her wings and launched into the air to follow Vonni.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Valhalla Valley was in an uproar. The dragon’s roaring arrival with Brundi and Jonquil had awoken everyone. The porch lights were blazing and everyone was out on the lawn, staring in disbelief at Loki and Vonni as they knelt by Brundi. The Valkyries, landing in full view, only added to the mass confusion.
Sarah and Mims came down from the porch. Sarah stared at Freya and her sisters. She jumped when she saw Sylt flutter her wings. ‘What are you?’
‘There’s no time to explain,’ Vonni said. ‘We need to help Mother.’
Sarah’s shaking hand held a mobile phone. ‘I’m – I’m calling the doctor.’
‘Please don’t!’ Vonni said. ‘No doctors. Not for us.’
Sarah shook her head. ‘I don’t understand what’s going on here but, Von, your mother’s been shot! She needs a doctor.’
He put his arm around her and softened his tone. ‘I know. But we can’t call a doctor. We’ve been fortunate with Mims that she’s never needed one. It’s just too risky. We’re . . . we’re not human.’
Sarah’s wide eyes stared up at him. ‘That’s insane. Of course you are.’
‘No, we’re not,’ Vonni said.
/> Sarah took a fearful step back. ‘What are you?’
Vonni reached out and cupped her face in his hands. ‘I’m the man who has lived a thousand years, but only now found love – in you.’ He kissed her tenderly and then bent down to lift his unconscious mother. ‘Please, Sarah, I will tell you everything. But first, help me get Mother inside to see how bad it is.’
Loki and Sarah stayed close as he carried Brundi into the house.
Freya and her two sisters were left standing outside, fully exposed and facing the large group of frightened people.
‘Please,’ Freya called gently. ‘Do not be frightened of us. We are family. Brundi is our grandmother and Vonni is our uncle. We mean you no harm.’
Mims joined her. ‘I’ve known about Greta since she got here. You don’t have to be afraid. Yes, she’s got wings, but she’s still just like us.’ She looked back at Maya and Skaga. ‘I’m Mims.’
‘I am so happy to meet you, cousin.’ Maya embraced her.
‘We are family – we are finally united.’ Skaga smiled behind them.
‘At least I now know why you’re always wearing that stupid coat in the middle of summer,’ Tash said to Freya.
Freya grinned. ‘You don’t know how hot it was! But it was the only way to keep my wings hidden.’
‘You don’t have to hide from us any more,’ said George, the ranch’s vet. He and John offered their hands to the Valkyries. ‘If you’re kin to Brundi, you’re kin to us.’
Freya smiled warmly at the men, but held up her hands. ‘I promise you all, we are here to help. But we must warn you. No one must ever touch our bare hands or skin . . .’
‘Or their feathers,’ Mims added. She stood proudly with her cousins. ‘We are Valkyries. Our touch is death to you.’
Beside them, Jonquil stirred and let out a pain-filled whinny. Her wing flapped as she tried to rise. Sylt and Skaga’s Reaping Mare were beside her and nickered anxiously.
George’s eyes were huge as he ran over to the fallen mare and looked back at Freya. ‘Is it safe to touch her?’
‘Yes,’ Freya said. ‘It’s only us you can’t touch.’
He looked at the others, suddenly becoming all business. ‘Everyone, snap out of it! John, go get my medical kit. Ben, you and Tash get a large bucket of warm water. And I’ll need more lights. If this is Brundi’s mare, we want her up and moving by the time Brundi wakes.’
With the Reaping Mares sorted, the Valkyries arrived at Brundi’s bedroom just as Sarah was coming out. She was carrying a bowl of bright-red water and soiled cloths. Her eyes were sunken and she looked exhausted.
‘Sarah, you must stop,’ Freya said gently. ‘You must think of the baby. Please go and rest. We’re here – let us help Brundi.’
Sarah shook her head. ‘I don’t care if she’s human or not. Brundi has been as much a mother to me as she is to Vonni. You won’t tear me away from her.’ Her eyes grew hard as she faced Freya. ‘Everything was perfect until you came. Why did you have to ruin everything?’
Sarah’s pain and fear were obvious. Her simple life had been destroyed and she was angry. Freya responded as kindly as she could. ‘We came to protect you. There is more going on there than you know. But I promise you, hurting this family is the last thing I wanted.’
‘Mom, don’t blame Greta,’ Mims said. ‘She’s telling the truth. She came to help us.’
Sarah sighed and lowered her head. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I’m just tired and worried.’
The Valkyries entered the room. Vonni was beside the bed, bandaging his mother’s wounds. Loki was handing him tape for the bandages.
‘How is she?’ Skaga asked, approaching the bed.
‘Not good,’ Vonni said. ‘She’s lost a lot of blood. We’ve been so careful for so long. In all our centuries, we’ve never really been hurt. But here, on our own ranch, men came and shot my mother. I won’t stand for it.’
Loki rose. ‘Brundi woke briefly. She’s asked us to take her back to Asgard. She insists it’s the only way to protect the family.’
Freya looked over at the pale face of her grandmother. ‘If there was any other way . . .’
‘I know,’ Vonni agreed sadly. ‘But if there’s any hope of saving her, it will be there, not here. We should wait a bit before we move her. The bleeding is just slowing down. I don’t want her wounds to open again.’
When Sarah returned, Vonni invited her to sit. As they waited for Brundi to stabilize before they moved her, he asked the Valkyries to stay as he started to explain his life.
Freya and Archie were fascinated to learn all the things that Vonni and Brundi had lived through and the many wars Vonni had fought in.
‘I have seen the Valkyries before, you know,’ he said. ‘It was in France, hundreds of years ago.’ Vonni’s eyes became distant. ‘A good friend of mine had been wounded. There were dead all around us. I remember picking up Olivier when I heard the call of the Valkyries. I didn’t realize what they were at the time. But then I felt something strange. I turned and saw this beautiful winged woman. I thought she was an angel. She was staring at me and, somehow, I don’t know how, but I knew her. But when I called to her and tried to approach, she told me to go.’
‘That was our mother,’ Maya said. ‘She just told us this story. That was when she realized you were her twin brother.’
‘If she knew I was her brother, why did she fly away from me?’
‘She had to, to protect you,’ Maya said. ‘She couldn’t let Odin know about you. But she says she’s felt you all this time.’
‘And I’ve felt her,’ Vonni said. ‘I have searched for her my whole life and I’ve felt her often. But I never saw her again.’
Loki nodded. ‘There is a powerful bond between siblings.’ His eyes settled on Freya with extra intensity as he tilted his head to the side. ‘Especially between twins. I’ve heard it said many times that when they are separated, twins can still feel each other, even if they’ve never met.’ He looked back at Vonni. ‘Just like you felt Eir, and she felt you.’
Freya inhaled sharply as realization blazed within her. Her head started to spin and the room was too hot and stuffy. She staggered on her feet.
‘Twins feel each other, even if they’ve never met.’
Her mother had a twin brother that she’d always felt. Suddenly Freya understood what Loki meant about her knowing the answer. Her mother wasn’t the only twin. The white-winged Dark Searcher . . . They had touched on the battlefield and, in that moment, Freya knew it as clearly as she knew her own name.
He was her twin brother!
‘Are you OK, Gee?’ Archie asked. ‘You look like you’ve just seen a ghost . . .’ He corrected himself. ‘I mean another ghost, not me.’
‘I-I’m fine,’ Freya stuttered. ‘It’s just very hot in here.’
Loki studied her closely. When she caught him watching her, he nodded slightly, confirming her thoughts.
A world of understanding exploded in Freya’s mind. The feelings of loneliness she’d carried all her life, the sense that part of her was missing, her restlessness. It was all right there. Suddenly she yearned to speak to Loki – to ask him a million questions about her brother.
She needed to know why, if he’d known about her brother, he hadn’t said anything sooner.
‘This is so sad,’ Sarah was saying. ‘You both knew of each other, but could never meet.’
Mims approached Loki. ‘Where have you and Gran been? What were you doing at the mine?’
Loki gazed down at Brundi again and there was genuine pain in his eyes. ‘She knew she had to return to Asgard. Before she left, she needed to make sure there was a safe hiding place for the family. Gold has shielding power. Brundi believed, with all the gold still in the mine, that no one from the other realms would feel Vonni or Mims in there.’
‘It worked,’ Vonni said. ‘I kept feeling Mother, but then she would disappear. It must have been when she was deep in the mine.’ He shook his head. ‘But we can�
�t hide in there. That cursed mine is unsafe. It’s a tomb that has taken too many lives already.’
Vonni sighed heavily, gazing at Sarah. ‘That mine is where this family made its fortune. It’s filled with gold and other precious minerals. It paid for the property and helped us build Valhalla Valley into the sanctuary that it is. But there was a big collapse almost a hundred years ago. So many men who worked for me died there. That’s why we closed it and swore it would never be opened again.’
‘Brundi knew that’s how you felt, but it’s the only safe place for you,’ Loki insisted. ‘You must rebuild the supports and make a home for yourselves in there.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Sarah demanded. ‘Why does Von have to hide?’
‘It’s not just me,’ Vonni corrected her. ‘It’s all of us. We must hide.’ He took his wife’s hand and started to explain about Odin, Brundi’s deception and finally about the impending war in the realms.
Sarah shook her head and wiped away tears. ‘I don’t want to believe that my husband has lived thousands of years, or that my own daughter is a Valkyrie – I want to run away screaming, but I can’t.’ Her eyes landed on Freya and her sisters. ‘I look at you and see it’s true. Why didn’t Brundi tell us who she really was?’
‘Her old life was over,’ Loki explained. ‘Brundi wanted nothing more to do with Odin or Asgard – she wanted to keep her past as far away from Vonni as possible. She succeeded all this time. Were it not for this unfortunate situation between the giants and Odin, none of this would have happened. But it has. And to keep everyone safe, we must move you into that mine just in case the tension between Odin and the other realms escalates into war. If the Frost or Fire Giants ever invaded Midgard, they would sense you and take you as hostages against Odin.’
‘What about the men who shot Brundi?’ Maya asked. ‘We left two of them alive. We warned them not to return, but what if they come back with more men?’
‘Let’s try it the human way first. I’ll go into town and talk to the police,’ Vonni said. ‘I’m Vonni Angelo, the famous singer. Maybe that can get us more protection.’
‘And if that fails?’ Skaga asked.
